Ancient Celtic Bronze Axe Heads

- Item No.

These Celtic bronze socketed axe heads were manufactured during the late Bronze and Early Iron Ages

Key Features

These Celtic bronze socketed axe heads were manufactured during the late Bronze and Early Iron Ages

Nobility maintained their position by controlling the supply and exchange of copper alloy goods

These axe heads were buried in the ground or thrown into rivers and marshes as votive offerings

This particular collection was found in Longrave, Caen, France in 1929

Item Details

Width:
3 Inches

Height:
3 Inches

Period:
Ancient

Origin:
Europe

These rare, early Celtic bronze axe heads were forged in northern Gaul during the late Bronze and early Iron ages. Found in Longrave, Caen, France in 1929, these axes were crafted during a time in Europe when the use of copper and bronze tools coincided with great leaps in human development around the world. The possession of bronze tools and weapons, as opposed to those of stone, meant power, and individuals of high status attained and maintained their position by controlling the supply and exchange of copper alloy goods. Because of this association with power, many bronze items were buried with their owners or makers, or thrown in rivers and marshes as votive offerings. The discovery of artifacts from this era is always a cause for excitement, and to find such a large collection of beautifully preserved items on the market is quite momentous.

The Celtic Iron Age roughly describes the period from about 800 BC until the Roman conquest of Britain and northern France around AD43. It was a time of huge social and economic change. It witnessed the end of the Bronze Age cycle of subsistence farming and the beginning of a more complex Europe, which in all its essentials was to change little until the age of exploration and the conquering of the oceans in the 16th Century. These axe heads were found in Longrave, Caen, France in 1929.